Brace



Patented July 24, 1923.

lll'l'E l"lvv i E s l 1,462,702 'r orFicE.

EWALD E. JOHNSON, OF ST. CHARLES, ILLINOIS.

BRACE.

Application led May 8,

Improvement in a Brace, of which the fol-v lowing is a specification.

invention relates to braces, and more particularly to what is known as a hand brace or drill of the ratchet type.

The principal object of my' invention is to provide a convenient tool of this character that is adapted to be manipulated so that boring and drilling in inconvenient or restricted places may be accomplished. A further object is to provide a struc-ture wherein the modified tool may be provided without the necessity of using additional parts or eliminating any of the parts already on the tool. In this connection I have provided a structure that does not alter Ithe normal functioning of the tool and by interchanging and adjusting certain of 'the elements a convenient form is provided thatis materially reduced in' length from the ends of the bit jaws to the hand grip. I have designed this tool especially for use in connection with the work of persons in installing telephone and electric wires in a building, where it frequently occurs the operator is required to bore or drill a hole, through joists, and in such positions the ordinary brace and bit are not available where the hole it is desired to bore is to be located transversely through one or more joists which usually are arranged or spaced on 14 to 16 inch centers, which would not ofcourse permit of the positioning of the brace in the usual manner, nor allow the operator to exert any considerable pressure upon the handle or grip. I prefer to carry out my invention in substantially the manner hereinafter fully described, and as more particularly pointed out in the claimskreference being now had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved brace showing a broken away portion in section.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the brace with the parts interchanged and positioned for convenient operation in a relatively narrow Space- Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line 3-3, Fig. 1, partly b-roken away and enlarged.

1922. Serial No. 559,234.

Fig. 4L is a sectional view taken on lineV 4 4, Fig. 1 and enlarged.

Fig. 5 is a transverse enlarged section on line 5 5, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a portion of a brace showing a modified construction, an I1 F ig. 7 is a transverse section on line 7-7,

In the drawings, similar reference characters have been employed to designate the saine parts wherever they occur throughout the several views, and by referring first to Fig. 1,it will be seen the brace preferably comprises the usual bit or tool chuck 10 in which the clamping jaws 11 are mounted, and having pawl and ratchet elements 12 connecting the same to a sleeve 13 having a lateral socket 14 to receive the adjacent end 15 of a suitably U-shaped operating crank 16 for rotating the structure. The usual rotatable handle 17 is provided upon the connecting member of the U-shaped crank, and the lateral or outer end of the crank is provided with a head 18 to which the hand grasp is removably attached.

In order to permit the hand grasp to be removably mounted upon head 18, I have counterbored the outer end of the latter to provide therein a recess 20 and a concentric inwardly extending shoulder or flange 21, as seen in detail in Fig. 3. The hand grasp is provided with an embossment 22 extending axially from the same which is provided with a longitudinally or axially'disposed re cess 23. A pair of oppositely arranged pawls 211 having substantially arrow or hook shaped heads at their outer ends are pivotally mounted upon a transverse pin 25 inserted through embossment 22, and said ratchet pawls are conveniently mounted upon said pivot pin 25 with their headed ends projected beyond the end of embossment 22. A U or V-shaped spring 26 is interposed between the adjacent faces of the pawls and exerts its pressure or power to move the jaws normally away from each other. Headed release studs 27 mounted in alining apertures in embossment 22 have their heads 27at positioned between the outer faces of the pawls and the inner surfaces of the wall of the embossment so that by' pressing the projecting ends of studs 27 inwardly towards each other the operator may compress springs 26 and cause pawls 24: to rel lease their arrow shaped heads from shoulder or flange 21, on head 18 oit the crank to remove the hand grip from the same.

A similar counterbore 2S is made in the end ot' the bit stock opposite the chuck jaws 11 and provides an inwardly extending flange or shoulder 29 to receive and be engaged by the heads of pawls 211. This permits hand grip 18 to be. released from the head of the crank, and its pawls engaged with counterbore 28, just mentioned, vso that the pressure may beexerted directly against tool stock 10, and it will be seen the distance v'between the work end of the tool vand the of the chuck.

hand grip has thus been materially reduced, and the operator may, in restricted spaces, engage his hand with the grip to support the tool. The crank may be utilized vfor the 4purpose of ratcheting the tool, and .in order to do thisand give the operator greater leverage than the `length o'ii'arm 15, T have adjustabl'yconnected said arm withsocket 14 inthemanner slio'wn in Figs. l and 5. This i structure consists in 4'forming' a pllurality'o'f concave notches 'upon the circumference of V,'arm 15 of athe crank, which is within socket 111, and coacting therewith is a retractli'ble plunger pin 31'that is yieldingly anchreciprocably mounted in the bore 32 of an yenlargement ifon the socket; said bore having its axis tangent to the bore of the socket `'and th'e'surface of arm 15. The pin 31 isprovided 'with a head upon itsinner end that iskept pressed normally towards a shoulder 35 "in bore 32 by means 'of al small expansion spring 3G interposed between headd and 'a screw plug 37 tapped into the outer* end of the bore. The plunger pin 81y is of cylindrical cross-section throughout its'length, andintermediate its ends is provided witha concav'ed recess 38,'as seen in Fig. 5. This permits the inner end portion of pin 31to-be normally engaged with one -ofthe'concave. recesses 30 in the adjacent portionot arm 15 of the brace crank and prevents its accidental removal or rotation in socket 1%. By pressing plunger pin 31 inwardly until concave recess 3S is positioned upon the adjacent portion of arm 15 the latter with thev crank may be turned until it assumes a position similar to that shown inFig. 2, or transverse to the axis The plunger pin 31 is then released, yand"t'he'cylindrical'inner portion of the pin will again seat in recess 30 at a right angle to the recess previously engaged by the pin. The outer end of the crank may thenjbe used to ratchet the tool, and the operator may exert pressure against hand grip 19 in' the usual manner without experiencing' any diiculty in operating the'tool.

.Inthe modification shown in Fig'. 6, crank 16 has its arm 15 mounted 'ina vnia-nner similar to that previously described, but said arm is adapted, when plunger pin 38 is pushed inwardly, to be removed from socket 121 instead of moved 'toithe position of Fig. 3. As seen in Figs. 6 and 7, arm 15 is inserted into the inner of two telescoping tubes that are: secured to -and extend axially from the socket so that when arm 15 is removed the outer tube 39 maybe slid longiti'idinally up'o'n the inner tube 40 until the same assumes the position shown in the dotted lines, whereupon the elongated structure may be operated as ay levento-ratcliet `the tool fin the manner of the preferred form. The Vouter tube carries a pin t'lthat operates 1in 'a ^longitudinally elongated slot 42 in the inner tube so 'that the tubes may not be 'disassembled. y I

F rom the foregoing it will be seen the brace is well adapted for use in restricted spaces, and, when the preferred :form is ernployed7 there are no loose parts that may -be left lying around and liable `to be lost, and I have en'iployed elements in this structure that are interchangeable so vthat 'the alter nate type ofthetool contains-all oi' the parts of the common structure.

lldlhat I claim is:

1. A brace comprising a chuck member havinga counterbored rear end, -U-sliap'ed crank carried by `said chuck and operable therewith and having a counterbo'red outer end, a removable hand grip having latch dogs pivotally carried thereby and adapted, respectively, to engage said respective counterbores, and means for movably securing said crankto said chuck "whereby said crank may be adjusted to a position at righi angles to its normal position and `thereby provide a lever at substantially afriglit angle to the axis of the chuck. l y

2. A brace comprising a chuck member having a counterbored rear el'rd, a Ushaped crank carried by said chuck and operaia-le therewith andhaving` 'a counterbored outer end, an interchangeable hz'ind-*grip having latch dogs normally engaged inthe counterbored end oi said crank andiadapted to be removably mounted cnthe counterbored rear end oit said chuck,d and mearistor movab'ly securing' said crank to said chuck whereby the same may be moved to an angle to said chuck to provide an operating lever when said hand grip is transferred to -saidchuc-k.

Signed at St. Charles, county O'Kanefand State ot Tllinos, this 1st day of *l\/Iay.y 1922.

.ETNALD E. JOHNSON.

Witnesses: 

